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From My Wok to Yours - Taking the Mystery Out of Everyday Dining and Meals!!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Chinese Cousins

“This could get expensive…”

And that only began to describe the weekend I had. I was thinking about a trip to the nearest tapas bar. (For those of you who don’t know, a tapas bar is an entire Spanish neal made up of many small dishes, kind of like an entire meal of appetizers. Turns out, everyone else wanted the Chinese cousin.) Thankfully, the cost that Kim was referring to was in reference to our (what has become) weekly trek to Golden Wok. We almost didn’t end up there, because neither of the girls, at the time we were contemplating a lunch destination, were not hungry.

Eleyna: “But I just ate some cereal!”

Daddy: “Okay, so you won’t want to go to Golden Wok then?”

Eleyna: “Well, I am always hungry for Golden Wok!! That is like having 5 dollars then being told that since I have 5 dollars, I won’t want 5 more!!”

Ah, the perspective of the young. So, to Golden Wok we went, on a Sunday of all days… and the hub-bub that accompanied us into the restaurant was as reassuring as a warm comforter on a cold night. You KNOW that it is what you want to be surrounded by.

So, Dim Sum delights abound, and I only ordered 1 really weird thing (as Kim put it.) Unfortunately, because we lunched later in the day, they were starting to run out of product, and they were ending the trolley service. (Much to the girls’ relief, they were out of the chicken feet, jellyfish and tripe… both very good if you are into the exotic fare or chewing on rubber bands, as eating jellyfish seems to be like.) The dim sum fun is lost without the traditional trolley service.

The traditional way of doing it includes being seated at a table, and a card with various options with prices is placed on the table. The staff will walk by with carts containing steamers of delicious choices, and if one piques your interest, you simply have to ask for it and it is given to you. The server will then mark your card accordingly. You repeat the steps until full.

For me, it is amusing how we, despite our constant desire to maintain a healthy lifestyle and diet, end up craving copious amounts of carbs and fatty proteins. With the glut of options available to us here in South Texas, (bacon and eggs, bean and cheese tacos, to name a few) we end up going in search of something different, like pork or shrimp balls, chicken or sweet beans surrounded by a skin of sweet, doughy goodness.

Dim sum, friends, dim sum…

As far as I am concerned, there is only one good place here in San Antonio, and I mention them ad nauseaum.

Obviously, any large city with a Chinatown offers the most options to fill this need, but the Bay Area has to have the best establishments with enough choices to keep EVERYONE happy.

One of my favorite San Francisco treats comes from a little place called the Wing Lee Bakery. It is a tiny little place where you order at the counter, after waiting in a long line, and your choices are placed on a little plastic tray, then you have to search for a place in the back to sit. This little place, with its limited seating, makes ordering your food to-go a smart idea, and go early, as they tend to run out of product by noon on the weekends. My most recent visit (which, sadly, was years ago,) was a pleasant experience, and their prices are very reasonable.

Right down the street is another restaurant called Good Luck Dim Sum. Their set up is similar to Wing Lee, in that you wait in line to order at a counter. The difference here, is that you get to check your selection on a slip of paper, somewhat like a sushi restaurant. If you order your food to go, it will be presented to you in a pink cake box. The prices are comparable, and the food does taste good.

Overall, when both restaurants have the full menu available, it is well worth the wait.